Zoning change ushers in Scene75 entertainment complex at Tuttle mall

Friday

Aug 9, 2019 at 12:27 PMAug 9, 2019 at 12:29 PM

The property at the Mall at Tuttle Crossing has been rezoned so individual property owners can alter their sites without the permission of the others.

Until last month, the owners of the Macy's, J.C. Penney, Sears, and now Scene75 Entertainment properties, as well as the mall owner, Simon, needed approval from the others if they wanted to rezone their individual properties.

Now that they can do so on their own. some neighbors are wondering about the future of the mall as Scene75 prepares to open.

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"They do have the flexibility now to do other things," said Ann Gates of the Shannon Heights/Kilbannon/Kildare Civic Association.

The ambitious Scene75 is quickly taking shape inside the former Macy's space at the east end of the mall. The second floor of the former department store now houses the Nuclear Rush roller coaster; a figure-eight coaster with spinning cars; a laser maze; a laser tag area; a black-light miniature golf course; escape rooms; a 35-foot-tall drop tower; and 200 arcade games. A go-cart track is taking shape on the second floor. Some of the store's tile floors and interior signs, pointing the way to long-gone departments remain.

"It is one of the largest family entertainment centers in the country," said Thomas Bustillo, Scene75's marketing coordinator. The former store has 220,000 square feet.

The Dayton-based company also has locations in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Brunswick in suburban Cleveland. At Tuttle, the owners are investing about $12 million in renovations after spending $3 million to acquire the space.

Bustillo said the complex should be open in 45 days, and will be open until 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Gates said she's hopeful the new anchor will help revitalize the mall, with visitors heading to other parts of the mall.

"The people I talk to, representatives from the Simon Corporation, they are all very positive," she said. "I think it will be a good neighbor.

"Scene75 will certainly bring people in. Hopefully they will go to other parts of the mall," Gates said.

Jessy Rios, who manages the nearby FYE entertainment store, said she hopes Scene75 brings more customers to her store, which she said has had good and bad days since the nearby anchors closed.

"We're rocking it," she said.

Sears closed its Tuttle store in March, while Macy's closed one of its two stores in 2017. The mall opened in 1997.

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik

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